“The Death of Cleopatra” from “The Graphic” (13 December 1890)

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"The Death of Cleopatra."

Artist: John Collier (1850-1934)

13 December 1890

wood-engraving

30.4 cm high by 22.3 cm wide — 12 inches by 8 ¾ inches

Illustration for The Graphic, p. 672.

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The Death of Cleopatra in The Graphic (13 December 1890, p. 672) is a large-scale wood-engraving (12 inches high by 8.75 inches wide) by noted Victorian illustrator John Collier. The illustration is a realisation of a stage scene by celebrated actress Sara Bernhardt on 11 December 1890. The play presented was not Shakespeare's, but Cleopatre by Victorien Sardou (1831-1908) and Marie-Jules-Emile Moreau (1852-1922), staged at the Porte-Saint-Martin Theatre in Paris. In this sensationalised version, the playwrights made many cuts to Shakespeare, and had Antony, stabbed by Octavian's orders, expire in Cleopatra's arms before she gives herself the asp.

Bibliography

Collier, John (illustrator). The Death of Cleopatra. The Graphic 42 (December 1890): 672.

Created 17 March 2025